New Delhi, Feb. 20 -- The defence ministry has signed contracts with ACE Limited and JCB India Limited for the procurement of 1,868 Rough Terrain Fork Lift Truck (RTFLT) for the Indian armed forces.

The Rough Terrain Fork Lift Trucks would cost Rs 697.35 crore in total to the Indian Army, Indian Air Force and Indian Navy.

The contract was signed in the presence of Defence Secretary RK Singh.

Rough Terrain Fork Lift Truck (RTFLT) is a critical equipment which will assist in various combat and logistics support tasks by avoiding manual handling of an enormous number of stores and thus enhancing the operational effectiveness of Indian armed forces.

According to a Ministry of Defence statement, this project has immense potential for direc...